XIA06.2
The Time Lord, the Slayer and the Watcher were still in the Library. Two of them were still talking about possible motives that the enemy could have for its actions, what they should be doing about it and how nice the tea was. The third was watching, thinking that perhaps she should have gone to the Bronze with all the others. After it became obvious that there was no immediate threat, and that there wasn't really anything they could do at the moment anyway, Buffy had insisted that Willow and Xander should go, and take the Doctor's friends with them. Buffy made an obvious display of looking at her Pokemon watch, yawned loudly and interrupted the conversation. "So what you guys are saying is that we have no idea what's going on, or what to do about it?" They both looked at her with an almost identical 'well yes' look on their faces. "So shouldn't we go and find some clues or something?" "Buffy does have a point Doctor." The Doctor rubbed at the wound on his neck. "Yes, yes, I should go back to the warehouse and have a look around." Giles stood up and walked over to the check-out counter. "Yes. Buffy why don't you go along with the Doctor? I'll try and follow up a few contacts that may have some information." "Sounds like a plan, major lacking in detail, but a plan nonetheless." Buffy linked arms with the Doctor and they walked out of the library and into the golden Sunnydale afternoon. The Doctor waved a little silver rod at the window. The rod seemed to make a slight humming noise, and the window popped open. The Doctor insisted that is was a very simple piece of technology, the workings of which were easily explained by a few scientific principles. Buffy believed him, but decided to think of it as a 'magic unlocking wand' anyway. The Doctor gave Buffy a leg-up and she slipped in through the window. She hit the ground on the other side and landed in a crouch, aware of green velvet landing beside her. The warehouse was empty. Completely. The late afternoon sunlight was streaming in through embarrassingly clean windows; the floor was perfectly spotless concrete. The Doctor was looking around. "I've seen a lot of warehouses in my time, but there is normally at least *something* in them. People are normally hiding something, or themselves." "This place looks brand new." Buffy walked slowly across the floorspace. The Doctor had stopped and was examining a spot of floor that looked amazingly like the rest of the floor. "Found something?" she asked after failing to see what is was that had the Time Lord's attention. "Nothing at all." "Something missing?" "Yes." He looked up. "This is about where I was lying when the others found me. But there're no blood stains." "Why do I get the feeling that someone is trying to keep us busy while they do something else?" The Doctor stood up and looked at Buffy. "Because this is exactly the sort of thing that happens everyday and you have developed an acute awareness for this sort of thing. The question is where is it that whoever it is doesn't want us to be?" Most people were at the Bronze, that being one of the very few places to go in Sunnydale. There were a few there that you wouldn't call people, but they tended to mind there own business so no one was bothered. Willow & Oz, Xander & Cordelia, Sam & Fitz were all there. They were generally chatting and getting to know each other better. There wasn't really anything much happening in the place, but the it was still early. "So," Xander was saying, "have you know the Doctor long?" He was asking them both but only looking at Sam. "Four and a bit years, on and off." Sam decided that short, accurate, but not very informative answers were the order of the day. "How long have you guys known him for?" "Oh, he was here about two years ago," Willow replied. "Where and when are you two from anyway?" Oz this time. Sam smiled. She liked this question. "Well, that depends. What year is it?" "1998, October," said Oz. "Hmmm," Sam thought out loud, "that would mean I'm due to meet the Doctor in about a month." Sam saw the brief flash on puzzlement cross their faces. "Yeah, and I meet him about 30 years ago." Fitz said, as if it happened every day. "I'm going to get a drink. Anyone want anything?" It was now dark, and that meant Buffy was on call. Buffy and the Doctor had left the warehouse and its complete lack of any leads to follow, and they were now heading back to the Bronze to meet the others. They just happened to be taking the dark back lanes, which Sunnydale seemed to have in large quantities. Neither of them was surprised when three nasty looking vampires came charging around the corner and straight for them. Buffy had produced a stake from wherever she had been carrying it. She took a step forward and with her left hand motioned the Doctor to hold back. The Doctor pressed something into her hand. Something cool and metallic. She glanced at it, not taking her eyes away from the oncoming vampires. In her left hand was a solid silver quarter staff, each end sharpened to a lethal looking point. How had the Doctor fitted this into his pocket? Choices, choices, pointy wooden stick, or point sliver staff of death. She dropped the stake. The staff spun in a sliver blur and pieced the first vampire before he was close enough to touch her. The other two skidded to a stop, suddenly somewhat uncertain this had been such a good idea. They turned on their heels and ran, so Buffy threw the staff at them, javelin style. She got them both, and they were temporarily skewered to the wall before they both exploded in a puff of ash. The Doctor picked up the dropped stake, while Buffy retrieved her new favourite weapon. "Nice toy." She said looking at it more closely. At about the middle there was a small dimple, but otherwise it was a single, seamless piece of metal. "Do you always carry this around?" "Only when I happen to be in a town that's infested with vampires." Buffy touched the dimple with her thumb. With a small sound that was somewhere between flowing water and clockwork the staff shrunk (folding? flowing?) down to about the size of a ball point pen. The Doctor grinned a Buffy. "Keep it if you like; it's not my type of thing." Fitz had detoured towards the men's room before heading to the bar. It had taken a little while just to find the men's room but eventually he had. It was as he was coming back out that he realized he was being followed. Followed wasn't the right word, because the person following him hadn't moved, they were watching, very carefully. He headed towards the bar while trying to work out what he should do. Don't let on that you know your being watched. Act casual. Get your drink, go back to the others, tell them about it. His plan would have worked if he had left out the 'get your drink' part. On the third floor of a low rise office building two of the Delphighnin were trying to solve the puzzle. They knew that the artefact they were looking for was in this town. They just didn't know were it was or, for that matter, what it looked like. The only clue they had was three scraps of pale green plastic. Pages from a long lost ancient text, apparently. A third Delphighnin entered the room. "The Doctor went back to the warehouse," ey said. "Did he?" replied the taller of the two. "He wasn't supposed to do that." "Perhaps the information we have about him isn't accurate," said the other. The taller one was tapping eir lips in thought. "The warehouse was clean?" "Nothing left, not a single trace." "We will simply have to deal with him later." "You know what I really hate about this job?" Buffy asked the Doctor, not really expecting an answer. The Doctor thought about it for a moment as they continued on their stroll. "The way that the friends you meet are willing to put their lives on the line for you." How does he do that, she thought to herself. "More people you've got to protect." The Doctor stopped, grabbed Buffy be the shoulder and spun her around to look at him. "Your friends are not a curse! They're good people. They know what they're in for. They believe in you, and it's their belief that makes you strong." Buffy blinked a tear from her eye. "And what happens if they get hurt and you can't save them?" The Doctor's eyes seemed to change colour, they were a dark grey. "I do everything I can, and if that is not enough I do more." He blinked, the spell was broken, and strangely Buffy felt just a little better. Sam was having a good time. The new people she had meet were nice, friendly, good people. They dealt with the same kind of stuff the she did every day. It was good to be able to talk about it. She had been told stories about vampires, demons, and all sorts of other monsters. The Doctor was standing behind her. She wasn't sure how long he had been there, but she could just feel that he was there now. "Hello everyone." He said casually, then leaned down and asked Sam, "Where's Fitz?" She was just thinking the same thing. "He went to the bar about half and hour ago, hasn't come back yet." She paused. "Do you think he's in trouble?" "Normally I'd say no, but as there are about six Delphighnin here, I'm just a little bit doubtful." Buffy raised an eyebrow. "What, here?" The Doctor nodded carefully. Sam scanned the room, but couldn't spot anyone out of the usual. "How about number 14?" the Doctor asked Sam. Sam grinned and then said, "But I left the rubber chicken in the TARDIS." Which left the others wondering just what 'number 14' was. Oz was the only one to smile (well almost smile). "Oh well, then I'll just have to improvise." And before anyone could ask, he reached out and grabbed a suddenly startled kid (15, 16 tops, Buffy thought) that had been standing near by. With all the seriousness the Doctor could muster he said; "Take me to your leader, please." }}